Chiropractic malpractice insurance is coverage a chiropractor purchases to protect his practice and other assets in the event he is sued for malpractice. When a chiropractor sees patients, he is expected to provide care that meets the medical standards in his jurisdiction. If he injures or kills a patient because he is negligent or provides less than the standard level of care, he may be sued for malpractice. Chiropractic malpractice insurance pays claims in the event a chiropractor is sued for malpractice and loses his case.
Chiropractors do make mistakes, and an error may result in injury to a patient. A patient may sue a chiropractor for such injury. If this occurs and the patient wins his case, the chiropractor could face a significant loss of assets. To avoid this, chiropractors purchase malpractice insurance to pay these claims.
There are usually three conditions that must be met for a chiropractor to lose a lawsuit and be ordered to pay a claim. One is the presence of some type of error. If a patient sues because of the result of chiropractic care but the chiropractor did not make any sort of mistake, this is usually not considered malpractice.
Another condition that must be met for a malpractice lawsuit is the presence of some type of injury. If, for example, a chiropractor makes a mistake in performing a procedure for the treatment of back pain and it does not harm the patient, this is usually not considered malpractice. Malpractice lawsuits are usually only valid when the patient is injured or killed as the result of the chiropractor’s actions.
The third condition for determining malpractice is the actual care the chiropractor provided. In order for a person to win a malpractice lawsuit, he usually has to demonstrate to a court that the chiropractor acted negligently or provided a lower-than-standard level of care. For example, if the standard of chiropractic care in a jurisdiction dictates that a chiropractor takes certain safety measures and he fails to do so, the injury this causes his patient may be deemed malpractice. In such a case, chiropractic malpractice insurance would usually cover the claim if the patient wins his case.
Though a chiropractor may prefer to choose the amount of chiropractic malpractice insurance he buys, he usually has to meet minimums set by the jurisdiction in which he practices. In such a case, a chiropractor who fails to carry the minimum amount of insurance may face serious consequences. Depending on the jurisdiction in question, this may translate into the suspension or revocation of his license to practice.